Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe:
Book Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. New York: Simon &
Schuster BFYR. ISBN 9781442408937
PLOT SUMMARY
Two teens, Dante and Aristotle, are brought together
through a chance encounter. Though they seemingly have nothing in common
whatsoever the two begin to spend more and more time together, forming a
special bond. Through their friendship, the two begin to learn about
themselves, society, and who they want to be in the future. For anyone who has
ever struggled with their identity and experienced hardships that accompany growing
up, this is a wonderful and insightful tale of self-discovery and healing.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a
coming of age tale of a teenage male protagonist, Aristotle, who comes from a
stressful background. This protagonist is facing his own unique struggles, and his
blossoming friendship with another boy, Dante, helps him through exploration of
who they both are and helps them along the way in overcoming their inner
demons. Growing up in Mexican-American family, Aristotle (Ari) faces issues
such as a brother who is incarcerated, a mother in denial, and an emotionally
cold and withdrawn father. Ari is dealing with inner turmoil, and is filled
with mixed emotions and anger. On top of that, Ari has never truly had a friend
or been able to open up to another individual, having trouble facing his
emotions and expressing them, stating that he “wasn’t very good at asking for
help, a bad habit [he] inherited from [his] father”. He is a loner, and questions
if, at some level or other, “all boys feel alone”. All that changes when he
meets Dante. Dante is an intellectual, and has a true sense of self-worth a confidence,
as well as a good bond with his family, the opposite of Ari. Through their interactions
and connection with one another, the both are able to explore other possibilities
and come to terms with their family expectations, their backgrounds, sexuality,
and mixed emotions. This is a tale of healing, self-growth, and deep understanding
of oneself.
From the start this book, it is clear that this is a piece
of literature that is profound and philosophical, providing insight and lessons
gained throughout its entirety. There is
a true moral presented in this book; be true to who you are and that pain,
anger, and confusion are all a part of growing up. I loved the messages of
self-growth and actualization of who one is, occurring through important
character development and beautifully written prose. One line that deeply
resonated with me, and I assume many who have gone through hardships while
growing up and trying to figure out who they are, was the following line: “Something
happened inside me as I looked out into the vast universe. Through that
telescope, the world was closer and larger than I’d ever imagined…it made me aware
that there was something inside of me that mattered”. Several times the
audience is given symbolism that surrounds the night sky and vast universe,
perhaps representing a sense of clarity and realization of how one fits in the
whole scheme of things. Throughout this book, Ari chooses to drive out into the
desert to sit out and take in the night sky, pondering his place within his
family, his identity as a Mexican-American, his emotions, sexuality, and life
in general. Through these scenes much insight and clarity is shed on Ari as a
character, and the audience is able to perceive as he continues to learn about
himself and the world around him. He constantly seeks out the “secrets of the
universe” and his purpose, and each experience brings him closer to adulthood
and self-actualization.
Author Benjamin Alire Saenz creates emotional, complex, well-developed
characters who are relatable in their struggles. Despite the level of
complexity and intellect these two characters possess, they do not come off as
pretentious or false, but instead come across as genuine and true in their awe
of the universe and quest to seek out its “secrets” and how it are pertains to
them, their current situations, and their lives. Despite being named after
scholars, and their level of depth and intellect, the two boys read as teens
and possess voices that are appropriate for their age, adding another level of
authenticity to them. There was a sense of normalcy with these characters; they
are both youths, attend school, have jobs, interests, etc., but what sets them
apart is their incredible depth. I fell in love with this book. There is no other
way I can possibly state that, and to be honest, words fail to express my level
of admiration for this book. I love the rawness, the emotion (both the joyous
and painful), and its overall thought-provoking tone. It made me reflect on my
own coming of age and stages I went through in my youth and gave me a new-found
sense of clarity and acceptance. As a character-driven text, this book provides
much insight, inner turmoil, realization, and growth, and is (in my humble
opinion) a life-changing tale. It is beautifully written, and I highly
recommend giving this book a try.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Stonewall Book Award Winner
Pura Belpre Award Winner
Lambda Literary Awards Winner
A Printz Honor Book
From The Guardian:
“This book, in my eyes, was utter perfection.
Told from the perspective of Ari, a quiet boy who has shrunk inside himself as
he's grown up around a brother in prison who he knows nothing about, a mother
in denial and a father haunted by the war. That's until Dante comes along.
Dante-articulate, smart, caring. His different view of the world changes Ari as
an unusual friendship forms. Little do they know, they are the keys to setting
the other free. Essentially this book is a book of memories, strung together
not quite in diary form but over a period of time, sometimes short, others
longer. It was so brilliantly written, and Ari and Dante's friendship was
unexpected but seemed to just work. It wasn't cliched; they fought, they got
mad at each other, but they always managed to pull the pieces back together in
ways other than just saying 'sorry'. The two acknowledged each other in
different ways to maybe me and my friends, but that was what made it so
brilliant. The book didn't need to explain that Ari and Dante cared deeply for
each other.”
From Kirkus Review: “Meticulous
pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting
prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships.”
CONNECTIONS
Learn to teach about different types of relationships and
how to deal with hardships.
Read other books with LGBT characters such as:
- · Cordova, Zoraida. Labyrinth Lost. ISBN 978149263164
- · Lauren, Christina. Autoboyography. ISBN 9781481481687
- · Nelson, Judy. I’ll Give you the Sun. ISBN 9780142425763
Read other books dealing with mental illness and dealing
with troubles such as:
- · Green, John. Turtles All the Way Down. ISBN 9780525555360
- · Kaur, Rupi. The Sun and Her Flowers. ISBN 9781449486792
- · Vizzini, Ned. It’s Kind of a Funny Story. ISBN 9780786851973
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